Lawrence Wagner, 33, is accused of breaking into a house in West Brighton.Staten Island Advance Photo

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A West Brighton man told police he was just trying to escape some hungry mosquitoes when he broke into a house in his neighborhood, police allege.

Lawrence Wagner, 33, of Elizabeth Street was caught inside the basement of a home on Delafield Avenue, a few blocks away from where he lives, just after midnight Monday, police allege.

He pushed out the glass pane of a basement window, damaging the window frame, but the homeowner heard a noise and called police, authorities said.

Police found a bag in a window bearing the same last name as Wagner, a set of bolt cutters, a flashlight and a crowbar, court papers allege.

Wagner told police, "I snuck into an empty house and got caught. I was looking for a place to (lie) down and escape the mosquitoes ... I was going to look through the house," according to court papers.

Wagner is on probation for a 2012 attempted burglary conviction, a law enforcement source said.

He is charged with second- and third-degree burglary, possession of burglar's tools, second-degree criminal trespass and fourth-degree criminal mischief, according to information from District Attorney Daniel Donovan's office.